Ramona Powers

NCSBA MONTHLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
DECEMBER 2016

NCSBA PUBLIC POLICY CONFERENCE

Time is running out to register for the fourth NCSBA Public Policy Conference. The conference will be held next Thursday and Friday, January 12-13, 2017, at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst. Attached is the agenda.

To Register click here.

You can make your hotel reservations at the Pinehurst Resort one of two ways:

1. Click here
2. Call 844.738.5781

JT. LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMITTEE ON SCHOOL-BASED ADMINISTRATOR PAY

The Joint Legislative Study Committee on School-Based Administrator Pay met on December 29 and approved recommendations to present to the General Assembly.

The recommendations are:

– Replace the current Principal salary schedule with dollar allotments (block grants) to LEAs for principal salaries (including a 3% pay raise) OR link principal pay to the Master’s teacher salary schedule plus a percentage to be determined.

– Provide bonuses to principals in low-wealth LEAs who achieve certain results across various categories. Principals in low-performing schools in the remaining school districts would also be eligible for the bonuses.

– Eliminate the Assistant Principal salary schedule and put assistant principals instead on the Master’s teacher salary schedule.

In addition, the draft report recommends that lawmakers institute a multi-year plan to significantly raise school administrator pay.

Click here to read the report and the findings and recommendations.

CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION

The Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Capital Infrastructure Needs of the State met on December 19 and approved a series of legislative recommendations. Some changes were made to the recommendations the Commission looked at last month. In that version of the report there was a recommendation that singled out local school boards for performance audits. This was met with some concern given that county commissioners are also involved in local school funding. The recommendation now says that all local governmental units, including school boards, should be required to have performance audits. In addition, there is also a recommendation that training programs for local governments, including school boards, should be expanded to ensure capital improvement projects involving new building construction or capital improvements take into consideration the project’s long and short impact on the unit’s annual budget.

Click here to read the final report.

SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA STUDY

A draft bill was recommended to the legislature this month that would create a Task Force to further examine a new method of funding K-12 public schools. The bill was put forward by the General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division. The Task Force created by this recommended bill would study a method of formula that allocates a base amount of funds per pupil and then adds additional money to that base according to certain student characteristics (special ed, etc.). The Task Force would study various weighted student models and develop one feasible for NC.

Click here to read the funding formula study upon which this legislative recommendation is based.

SPECIAL SESSIONS

The General Assembly convened three special sessions in December, each of which had notable activity for public schools. These sessions, combined with two special sessions held earlier in the year, made for five total special sessions in 2016.

Special Session 3

This session was called to pass a disaster relief bill for those impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Section 5.7 of this bill gave some calendar relief to those districts impacted. It provides that LEAs that had to close school for three or more consecutive days in October 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew only have to make up two of those days.

Special Session 4

K-3 Class Sizes

NCSBA looked at this special session as a good chance to try to get the K-3 class size issue addressed but also went in well aware that a fix was unlikely to pass. Though a long shot, the bill nonetheless ended up moving further than anticipated. Assuming it would not pass, NCSBA had a couple other goals in pushing this during the special session. The primary goal was to educate legislators and make them aware of the urgency of the issue. We are fearful about the following three things because the issue was not resolved during this special session.
• The issue might not get resolved at all, leaving districts to have to equalize average and funded K-3 class sizes starting next school year.
• There might not be a resolution on this issue until as late as June or July. This would push the uncertainty out into the period when districts are already developing and getting their budgets approved.
• With several budget constraints looming in the next session, the General Assembly could instead return to the funding allotment ratios of 1:18 for grades 1-3. This is not unprecedented in that they increased allotment ratios by 1 in 2013.
State Board of Ed and State Superintendent Powers

Lawmakers did pass HB 17, an omnibus bill to restrict gubernatorial powers in a number of areas. The bill also took several powers away from the State Board of Education (all but two of whom are gubernatorial appointees) and gave those powers to the new incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mark Johnson. The move angered State Board Chairman Bill Cobey, who called the shift an attempt to “diminish the board’s constitutional authority.” The Board has chosen to file a lawsuit to challenge the legislation. A temporary restraining order (TRO) was subsequently issued to prevent enforcement of the provision of HB 17 transferring the Board’s powers. That TRO will be in place until the case can be heard by a three-judge panel on whether to grant a permanent injunction. The three judges making up the panel to hear this case are Judge Forrest Donald Bridges, Judge James F. Ammons Jr., and Judge Martin B. McGee.

Special Session 5

There was also a special session called for the purpose of repealing House Bill 2. Lawmakers adjourned without repealing the legislation, which means that under state law local school boards are still required to maintain single-gender bathrooms and changing facilities.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Joint Legislative Study Committee on School-Based Administrator Pay

The Joint Legislative Study Committee on School-Based Administrator Pay met on November 28.  The Committee heard from a number of experts and stakeholders.  Presenters included:

• Steve Tozer, Prof in Educational Policy Studies; University of Illinois at Chicago. Click here for presentation materials.
• Andy Baxter, Vice President, Educator Effectiveness; Southern Regional Education Board. Click here for presentation materials.
• Brenda Berg, President and CEO; Best NC. Click here for presentation materials.
• L. “Buddy” Collins, Vice Chair; North Carolina State Board of Education.
• Shirley Prince, Executive Director; North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals Association. Click here for presentation materials.

The panel supported across the board increases in base pay for principals.  Committee co-chair, Senator Jerry Tillman (R-Randolph) said the final plan would likely include an increase of at least 5% along with opportunities for bonuses.  Sen. Tillman indicated the pay package would be a provision in the 2017-18 State budget.  The committee is expected to meet next sometime in December to discuss final recommendations.

Capital Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission

The Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Capital Infrastructure Needs of the State met on November 14 and reviewed a series of draft recommendations to submit to the 2017 General Assembly.  The most notable recommendation of the group is Recommendation #3 which reads “Expand training programs for local governments and require performance audits of school boards to ensure that local entities are utilizing existing assets and planning for future expansion in the most efficient manner.”  The wording of this recommendation in singling out local school boards for performance audits generated some concern from some commission members who noted that county commissioners are also involved in local school funding.  The recommendation will be reworded before coming back before the commission in December.  Click here to read the entire set of draft recommendations.

School Funding Formula Study

The General Assembly’s Program Evaluation Division released a study of how K-12 public schools are funded at the State level.  The study found that the existing allotment formulas are inefficient and overly complex.  It recommends that lawmakers either transition to an entirely new system of funding public schools using a method called a weighted student formula OR take steps to fix problems with the current allotment formulas.

At its next meeting, the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee is expected to discuss recommending legislation to create a study committee that would further examine the idea of replacing current allotment formulas with a per-student model.

Click here to read the entire study.

2016 Election Results

The 2016 election was held on November 8.  The General Assembly’s composition will largely remain the same in 2017.  There will be 74 Republicans in the House, the same number as 2015-16, with 46 Democrats.  In the Senate, Republicans picked up one seat and will have a 35-15 majority.  However, the numbers could change as soon as next year as a federal court has ruled that State lawmakers must revise legislative districts by March 15, 2017, and hold new elections for the General Assembly by the end of 2017.  This is a follow up to a ruling over the summer finding that several of the current legislative districts were unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered.  The ruling to redraw the districts and hold a special election next year has been appealed to the US Supreme Court.  Click here to read more about that story.

There were 19 school board members elected to the General Assembly- 14 in the House and 5 in the Senate.  Attached find a full list of the school board members elected to the General Assembly.

NCSBA Public Policy Conference

Register now for the fourth NCSBA Public Policy Conference, scheduled for January 12-13, 2017, at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst.  Attached is a draft agenda for the conference.

To Register click here.  You can make your hotel reservations at the Pinehurst Resort with a special discounted group rate one of two ways:

1. Click here and use Group Code 60158.
2. Call 844.738.5781 and ask for the NCSBA Public Policy Conference group rate.

   *Note that the deadline for getting the discounted Group Rate at the hotel is December 12 at 5:00 PM.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

NCSBA Monthly Legislative Report

October 2016

Education Strategy and Practices

The House Select Committee on Education Strategy and Practices met on October 18.  The following pertinent presentations were given at this meeting.

An experimental new method of learning that is starting to pop up around the country is called Competency Based Learning.  Dr. Michelle Soler, Director of Competency Based Education and Assessment at UNC, discussed the concept of competency-based learning and how it differs from other learning models.  Dr. Soler touted it as a good thing that NC lawmakers should consider adopting, but did not give any specifics on how to implement it across the state in a workable manner.  In addition to this presentation before NC lawmakers, we are starting to see an increasing number of presentations on competency-based learning in front of other groups such as BEST NC and the Foundation for Excellence in Education.  NCSBA will have a presentation on this topic at the upcoming Public Policy Conference in January.  Click here to register for the conference.
Presentation Materials:  Click here

EVAAS and how NC uses analytics in education was discussed by Emily Baranello, Vice President, Education Practice at SAS and Jennifer Bell, Senior Education Specialist, State and Local Government, SAS.
Presentation Materials:  Click here and here

A presentation on how High School start times impact student achievement was given by Dr. Kevin Bastian, Director, Teacher Quality Research Initiative, Education Policy Initiative at Carolina and Dr. Sarah Fuller, Research Assistant Professor, Education Policy Initiative at Carolina.  The following research findings were discussed:

• Little evidence of later start times impacting EOC scores.
• Some evidence that later start times, particularly after 8:30am and for economically-disadvantaged students, predict higher ACT scores.
• Robust evidence that later start times predict absence, suspension, and course grades results for economically-disadvantaged students.

The presenters also talked about several questions/concerns to think about for districts that might want to look into later High School start times.  Those questions/concerns included how later High School start times might impact elementary and middle schools in the district and getting adequate buy-in from local stakeholders.
Presentation Materials:  Click here

Dr. Kathryn Marker, Associate Director for K-12 Programs, State Education Assistance Authority, talked about the special education school voucher program.
Presentation Materials:  Click here

A presentation on assessing students with disabilities was given by DPI staff.

A background and history of the 12.5% per district cap on supplemental funding for students with disabilities was given.  The presentation also discussed the fiscal implications of possibly eliminating the cap.
Presentation Materials:  Click here

Joint Legislative Study Committee on School-Based Administrator Pay

The Joint Legislative Study Committee on School-Based Administrator Pay met on October 24.  The Committee received presentations on the following pertinent topics:

A review of the current school-based administrator salary schedule and recent notable changes to the schedule was given by Alexis Schauss, Director of School Business, DPI.
Presentation Materials:  Click here and here

Timothy Hale, Fiscal Analyst, General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division discussed important considerations lawmakers should consider in thinking about reforming or restructuring the school-based administrator salary schedule.  The proposal reviewed by Mr. Hale would do away with set salary schedules for principals and distribute money for principal pay to school districts through block grants.
Presentation Materials:  Click here and here

There was also a panel and committee discussion involving the following participants:

• Dr. Stephen Gainey, Superintendent Randolph County Schools;
• Dr. Beverly Emery, Superintendent Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools;
• Dr. Frank Till, Superintendent Cumberland County Schools;
• Dr. Pascal Mubenga, Superintendent Franklin County Schools;
• Katherine Joyce, Executive Director, NC Association of School Administrators;
• Leanne Winner, Director of Governmental Relations, NC School Boards Association.

The panel discussed the block grant proposal and unanimously voiced concerns about the difficulties and inequities a block grant allocation for principal pay could cause.  NCASA and NCSBA representatives acknowledged problems with the current pay structure for school administrators but talked about the need to keep a base salary schedule for principal pay instead of moving to a block grant while reforming the schedule so it works better for school districts.  A redesigned schedule should be accompanied by a layer of some district-flexible incentives to address each LEA’s specific challenges in principal recruitment and retention.

Dr. Till noted the challenges scrapping the principal salary schedule might create for large school districts, where it could be difficult to negotiate salaries with all LEA principals.

Capital Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission

The General Assembly’s Blue Ribbon Commission to Study the Capital Infrastructure Needs of the State met on October 25.  The Committee discussed the following pertinent topics:

A review of the NC Capital Improvement Program was given by staff members from the Office of State Budget and Management.

Election Materials

The 2016 election will be held on November 8.  NCSBA has created two lists for you to help you in looking at election night returns.  Please find those lists in the first attached document.  The first list shows former/current school board members who are running for State House and Senate, including incumbent legislators.  The second list, below the first, is a review of key General Assembly races to watch based on analysis and research by outside groups that track legislative races.

Public Policy Conference

The fourth Public Policy Conference is slated for January 12-13, 2017 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst.  Attached is a draft agenda for the conference.  We are still working on securing a couple more presentations.

To Register click here.  You can make your hotel reservations at the Pinehurst Resort with the special conference group rate one of two ways:

1. Click here and enter Group Code 60158.
2. Call 844.738.5781 and ask for the NCSBA Public Policy Conference group rate.

Leanne E. Winner
Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6686 direct dial

Bruce Mildwurf
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919) 606-3916 mobile

Bryan Holloway
Associate Director of Governmental Relations
N.C. School Boards Association
(919)747-6677 direct dial